ON PRESERVING BIRDS. 347 



rises, with your finger and thumb, for a day or two. Press 

 the feathers down. The skin will adhere no more to the 

 bone, and they will cease to rise. 



Every now and then touch and retouch all the different 

 parts of the features, in order to render them distinct and 

 visible, correcting at the same time any harshness, or 

 unnatural risings or sinkings, flatness or rotundity. This 

 is putting the last finishing hand to it. 



In three or four days the feet lose their natural elas- 

 ticity, and the knees begin to stiffen. When you observe 

 this, it is time to give the legs any angle you wish, and 

 arrange the toes for a standing position, or curve them to 

 your finger. If you wish to set the bird on a branch, bore 

 a little hole under each foot, a little way up the leg ; and 

 having fixe"d two proportional spikes on the branch, you 

 can, in a moment, transfer the bird from your finger to it, 

 and from it to your finger, at pleasure. 



When the bird is quite dry, pull the thread out of the 

 knees, take away the needle, &c., from under the bill, and 

 all is done. In Heu of being stiff with wires, the cotton 

 will have given a considerable elasticity to every part of 

 your bird ; so that, when perching on your finger, if you 

 press it down with the other hand, it will rise again. You 

 need not fear that your hawk will alter, or its colours fade. 

 The alcohol has introduced the sublimate into every part 

 and pore of the skin, quite to the roots of the feathers. 

 Its use is twofold. 1st. It has totally prevented all ten- 

 dency to putrefaction ; and thus a sound skin has attached 

 itself to the roots of the feathers. You may take hold of 

 a single one, and from it suspend five times the weight of 

 the bird. You may jerk it ; it will stiU adhere to the skin, 

 and, after repeated' trials, often break short. 2dly. As no 

 part of the skin has escaped receiving particles of sub- 

 limate contained in the alcohol, there is not a spot exposed 



